Device for removing and inserting fluorescent lamps



Aug. 4, 1964 J. BLOCH ETAL 3,143,371

DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND INSERTING FLUQRESCENT LAMPS Filed Aug. 20, 1962 INVENTORS. JACK BLOCH 2o lo HAROLD L. LOEW THEIR ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,143,371 DEVICE FOR REMGVING AND INSERTING FLUGRESCENT LAMFS Jack Bloch, 13%)9 Albemarle Road, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Harold L. Loew, 328 Cross St., Fort Lee, NJ. Filed Aug. 29, 962, Ser. No. 217,990 6 Claims. (Cl. w r-2s This invention relates to a lamp tube changing apparatus and relates more particularly to a device for moving elongated electric discharge lamps, such as fluorescent lamps, into and out of engagement with the sockets which mount and support such lamps.

The device or" the present invention is particularly intended for use in connection with those sockets wherein one of the sockets is fixed and the other is spring loaded and must be retracted in order to allow the lamp tube to be installed therein or removed.

An important object of the invention is to provide a cradle or tray for the elongated tube, with a handle of suitable length, so as to avoid climbing a ladder, and which will assure against dropping of the tube without, however, requiring the use of clamps, links, levers or the like.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel structure for elevating and presenting an elongated tubular lamp to a pair of spaced, elevated sockets therefor which permits a simple manipulation of the device, and of the lamp carried thereby, to introduce a contact pin at one end of the lamp into the retractible socket member, then move the device, lamp and socket longitudinally a sufiicient distance to enable the contact pin at the opposite end to clear the fixed socket and introduce the pin. The foregoing operations are accomplished without clamping means for the tube and without any danger whatsoever of the tube becoming displaced from the supporting cradle during the operation, even when the operation is performed at great height.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lamp inserting device which gives approved support to the elongated tube during the installing operation but which permits the device to easily separate from the tube as soon as the operation is finished.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus constructed according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a broken longitudinal section taken through the apparatus and the spacer for the tubular lamp;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIGURE 5 shows a modification.

The apparatus of the present invention comprises an elongated tube carrier which, in FIGURES 1 to 4 is shown as a cradle, semi-circular in cross section and is of such size as to loosely receive a fluorescent tube 11. These tubes vary in length and the length of the cradle should be slightly less than the length of the shortest tube. The carrier may be stamped out from sheet metal and bent to the contour shown or it may be extruded or fabricated in any other known manner formed from plastic or other material. While the curved configuration gives good results it may be rectangular, with a bottom wall and opposed side walls confining the opposed sides of the tube. It may also be a fiat bar or of a formed wire construction as pointed out hereinafter.

At its first end, the cradle has an abutment which may be a fiat end wall 12 rigidly secured in place and provided with a central slot 14 extending downwardly from its upper edge. The cradle edges at the end wall are cut away at 13. The second end of the cradle is open as shown 3,143,371 Patented Aug. 4, 1964 at 16. The tube is held against the possibility of accidently falling from the cradle by a number of inwardly curved spring fingers 17 which extend upwardly from the upper edges 1? of the cradle and have outwardly extending upper terminals 13 which may be curved as shown in FIGURE 4. These outwardly extending terminals form camming surfaces to retract the fingers outwardly as the cradle is moved into engagement with a lamp in the fixture.

The cradle is provided with one or more, preferably two, sleeves or sockets 29 extending downwardly from its lower surface and these sockets receive poles 21 in force-fit relation. These supporting poles 21 may be of varying length, depending upon the height of the lamp fixture. They may also be of telescopic construction. It is obvious that if the pole were too short or too long it would be awkward to manipulate the cradle.

The means for securing the upper ends of the supporting poles in the sockets is a matter of choice and if desired the parts may be formed with interfitting screw threads or the sockets may have quick releasable fasteners for securing the parts.

To insert a new lamp into its supporting structure on the ceiling, the lamp is placed in the cradle by pushing the tube downwardly into the cradle against the outwardly curved upper ends 13 of the spring fingers 17. These spring fingers should have suificient spring strength to permit the cradle with its lamp to be inserted without danger of the lamp falling to the floor.

The tube contact pin 22 at the right hand end of the cradle end wall 12 is first inserted in the socket and the entire assembly moved to the right as in FIGURE 2 until the spring loaded contact element 24 in the socket has retracted far enough to permit the other contact pin 2'7 to enter its socket 23. In this movement the tube is held against longitudinal movement in the'cradle by end wall 12. When the tube is in place the installing device is drawn slowly downwardly about one inch until the spring fingers are clear or" the tube. To remove the tube the operation is repeated. There is a space of about onequarter inch between the fixed socket and the tube end cap through which the pin projects, and the end wall 12 of the carrier is moved upwardly into such area. By relieving the upper edges of the carrier at 13 there is less possibility of encountering an obstruction.

The cradle arrangement in FIGURE 1 gives good results and a simplified modification has the spring clips provide the sole support for the tubular lamp. Each clip can be individually mounted on a wire or other support, the wires emanating from a single pole, or all the clips may be mounted on a single elongated support or carrier.

This latter arrangement is shown in FIGURE 5 and the carrier in this case is a flat bar 32 and the spring fingers 33 may be formed in one piece instead of in pairs as shown in FIGURE 4. They are held in place by screws 34 and may be removed and replaced by ones of different sizes. Also in this view the abutment 36 at one end is shown as formed from wire instead of sheet metal. It has a central recess 38 for the contact pin of the lamp.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that the exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

What we claim is:

1. A device for installing and removing elongated tubular lamps, having contact'pins extending from opposite ends thereof, into a ceiling fixture having a fixed and retractable socket member for receiving the contact pins, said device comprising an elongated cradle being curved in transverse section and presenting opposed side walls for confining a lamp therein, spring fingers extending upwardly from the upper edges of the cradle and adapted to fit over an inserted lamp and whose upper terminals extend outwardly to permit the cradle to be moved upwardly into engaging contact with a lamp installed in a ceiling fixture, said cradle being open at one end thereof and being provided with a fixed wall at its opposite end having a slot extending downwardly from its upper edge to receive a contact pin of a tube, said wall adapted to bear against the adjacent end of an attached tube to move it against a socket member at the opposite end.

2. A device for installing and removing elongated tubular lamps, having contact pins extending from first and second ends thereof, into a ceiling fixture having a fixed socket at its first end and a socket at its second end which is longitudinally movable away from the first socket, said sockets are for receiving the contact pins of a lamp, said device comprising an elongated carrier, spring fingers extending upwardly from the upper edges of the carrier and adapted to fit over a lamp and whose upper terminals extend outwardly to permit the carrier to be moved upwardly into engaging contact with a lamp installed in a ceiling fixture, said carrier being open at its second end and being provided with a fixed abutment at its first end formed to fit around a contact pin on a tube and bear against the adjacent end of an attached tube so that the opposite end of a lamp is adapted to contact and move a retractable socket member in a fixture upon being installed therein.

3. A device for installing and removing elongated tubular lamps, having contact pins extending from opposite ends thereof, into a ceiling fixture having a fixed socket at a first end and a socket at its second end which is longitudinally movable away from the fixed socket, said sockets are for receiving the contact pins of a lamp, said device comprising an elongated carrier having first and second ends, opposed spring fingers extending upwardly from the carrier and adapted to fit over a lamp and whose upper terminals extend outwardly to permit the cradle to be moved upwardly into engaging contact with a lamp installed in a ceiling fixture, said carrier being open at its second end and being provided at its first end with an abutment adapted to bear against an adjacent end of a lamp and adapted to move a lamp longitudinally against a movable socket in a fixture.

sockets are for receiving the contact pins of a lamp, said device comprising an elongated cradle having first and second ends and opposed side walls and being open at its top, to receive a tubular lamp, spring fingers extending upwardly from the upper edges of the cradle and adapted to fit over a lamp and whose upper terminals have outwardly camming surfaces to permit the cradle to be moved upwardly into engaging contact with a lamp installed in a ceiling fixture, said cradle being open at its second end and being provided at its first end with an abutment adapted to bear against one end of a lamp and adapted to move the opposite end against a movable socket in a fixture.

' 5. A device for installing and removing elongated tubular lamps, having contact pins extending from opposite ends thereof, into a ceiling fixture having a fixed socket at a first end and a socket at its second end which is longitudinally movable away from the fixed socket, said sockets adapted to receive the contact pins of a lamp, said device comprising an elongated cradle having first and second ends and opposed side and bottom walls and being open at its top to receive a tubular lamp, spring fingers extending upwardly from the upper edges of the cradle and adapted to fit over a lamp and whose upper terminals are outwardly curved to permit the cradle to be moved upwardly into engaging contact with a lamp installed in a ceiling fixture, said cradle being Open at its second end and being provided at its first end with a fixed wall having a slot extending downwardly from its upper edge to receive one of the contact pins and adapted to bear against the adjacent end of a lamp and adapted to move it against a socket at the opposite end thereof, and handle means on the cradle for raising it to a ceiling fixture.

6. A device for installing and removing elongated tubular lamps, having contact pins extending from opposite ends thereof, into a ceiling fixture having a fixed socket at a first end and a socket at its second end which is longitudinally movable away from the fixed socket, said sockets are adapted to receive the contact pins of a lamp, said device comprising an elongated fiat carrier having first and second ends, spring fingers extending upwardly from the carrier and adapted to fit over a lamp and whose upper terminals extend outwardly to permit the carrier to be moved upwardly into engaging contact with a lamp installed in a ceiling fixture to cam the finger outwardly, said carrier being open at its second end and being provided at its first end with a fixed abutment having a slot extending downwardly from its upper edge to receive one of the contact pins of a tube, said abutment bearing against the adjacent end of a tube and adapted to move it against a movable socket in a fixture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,385,820 Liebow Oct. 2, 1945 2,768,855 Cohen Oct. 30, 

1. A DEVICE FOR INSTALLING AND REMOVING ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS, HAVING CONTACT PINS EXTENDING FROM OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, INTO A CEILING FIXTURE HAVING A FIXED AND RETRACTABLE SOCKET MEMBER FOR RECEIVING THE CONTACT PINS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CRADLE BEING CURVED IN TRANSVERSE SECTION AND PRESENTING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS FOR CONFINING A LAMP THEREIN, SPRING FINGERS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE UPPER EDGES OF THE CRADLE AND ADAPTED TO FIT OVER AN INSERTED LAMP AND WHOSE UPPER TERMINALS 